Noel Ewart Odell

Biographical Record & Archival Chronicle

Noel Ewart Odell was born on December 25, 1890, in St Lawrence, Isle of Wight, England. Educated at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London, Odell became a world-renowned geologist specializing in high-altitude glaciology and stratigraphy. In 1924, he was chosen as expedition geologist and lead climber for the third British Mount Everest Expedition.

On Everest, Odell astonished his teammates with his superhuman physiological adaptation to extreme altitude. While other climbers collapsed from exhaustion or succumbed to coughing fits in the thin air, Odell spent nearly two continuous weeks living above 7,000 meters without using supplemental bottled oxygen. On the fateful morning of June 8, 1924, Odell climbed alone from Camp V (7,770m) to Camp VI (8,140m) in support of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's summit bid. Scrambling up a small rocky crag at approximately 7,900 meters around 12:50 PM, the dense clouds suddenly parted to reveal the upper pyramid of Everest. Looking toward the Northeast Ridge, Odell spotted two tiny silhouettes moving across a prominent snow crest near a prominent rock step (the First or Second Step), 'going strong for the top.' Seconds later, the clouds swept in again, closing the curtain forever.

When neither climber returned to Camp VI that evening, Odell courageously climbed back into the Death Zone twice more in search of his friends. Finding Camp VI deserted, Odell laid out two sleeping bags in the shape of a giant 'T' (later transformed into a cross) on the snow, signaling the dreadful news to his teammates watching through telescopes on the North Col four thousand feet below. For the remaining 63 years of his life, Odell steadfastly maintained his conviction that Mallory and Irvine had achieved the summit of Mount Everest before meeting their deaths.

Twelve years later, in 1936, Odell joined the British-American Himalayan Expedition to Nanda Devi (7,816m / 25,643 ft) in the Garhwal Himalayas. Climbing alongside Bill Tilman in pure alpine style without supplemental oxygen, 45-year-old Odell surmounted the steep, knife-edge rock towers of the Coxcomb ridge. On August 29, 1936, Odell and Tilman stood upon the summit, setting an absolute human altitude record on an ascended mountain that remained unbeaten until Annapurna in 1950.

Odell enjoyed an illustrious academic career, serving as Professor of Geology at Harvard University, Cambridge University, and the University of Otago in New Zealand. Known for his extraordinary physical longevity, Odell continued climbing technical alpine peaks well into his senior years, famously ascending Mount Sir Donald (3,284m) in the Canadian Rockies at the age of 87. He passed away peacefully on February 21, 1987, at the venerable age of 96.

Notable Milestones & Ascents

• Historic maiden first ascent of Nanda Devi (7,816m) on August 29, 1936, with Bill Tilman without oxygen
• Last person to see George Mallory and Andrew Irvine alive near the Second Step on Mount Everest on June 8, 1924
• Spent nearly two continuous weeks above 7,000 meters on Mount Everest in 1924 entirely without supplemental oxygen
• Co-founder and leader of the 1936 British-American Himalayan Expedition
• Surveyed the complex geological stratigraphy of Mount Everest and the Garhwal Himalayas
• Scaled technical alpine rock peaks well into his 80s, summiting Mount Sir Donald at age 87